View Full Version : Toughest section?
wanashunkaha
01-14-2008, 15:15
I'm planning on doing a "primer" hike sometime this year in preperation for thru hiking. I'm figuring a 1-2 week time frame. I'm wondering what people's opinions are in regards to the toughest (most physically demanding) section on the trail. I figure I may as well get a glimpse of the worst I'll encounter while thru hiking. I realize that the thru hike is a different ball game with many more variables over a much longer timeframe, but I'm looking for a "healthy dose" of the real deal. Thanks for the input.
If you want a taste of it, just go to Springer and walk north for 2 weeks. See what it's like from the standpoint of really doing it. I haven't thru-hiked, but I'm doing sections from the bottom to the top as best I can find time for.
Lone Wolf
01-14-2008, 15:20
Glencliff,NH to Rangeley, ME will give you a healthy dose
Old Hillwalker
01-14-2008, 15:20
Why not hike Vermont's Long Trail end to end. That will get you primed and get a "LT Completer" under your belt along with some AT mileage. .
Jack Tarlin
01-14-2008, 15:22
Gorham NH to Stratton ME.
earlyriser26
01-14-2008, 15:26
Gorham NH to Stratton ME.
I agree. You could add the Presidential range for fun too.
Glencliff,NH to Rangeley, ME will give you a healthy dose
I hiked Glencliff to Kinsman Notch in the snow and rain last May and Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch in October. They weren't so bad in spite of the comments I read here and on TJ before I left. Of course, stringing together Glencliff to Rangeley in one week or so, would be a different matter, I'm sure. :)
If you plan on doing a NOBO, start in GA and hike for a few weeks. That's all I would concern myself with. If you can do that it's pretty much mental from there. It's not the hardest section, but right off the couch it'll still give you a good workout. I'm a firm believer that if you prepare yourself mentally, you can make the whole trip. I always seem to lose my mental game at JAnet's and Harper's Ferry. :))
Painted Turtle
01-14-2008, 15:58
Glencliff,NH to Rangeley, ME will give you a healthy dose
I agree with Wolf. But do the Bigelows' to Flagstaff Lake. If you are short on time start at Pinkham Notch and go north
BackTrack1
01-14-2008, 16:01
Why not hike Vermont's Long Trail end to end. That will get you primed and get a "LT Completer" under your belt along with some AT mileage. .
I second that!!!:)
wanashunkaha
01-14-2008, 16:04
If you plan on doing a NOBO, start in GA and hike for a few weeks. That's all I would concern myself with. If you can do that it's pretty much mental from there. It's not the hardest section, but right off the couch it'll still give you a good workout. I'm a firm believer that if you prepare yourself mentally, you can make the whole trip. I always seem to lose my mental game at JAnet's and Harper's Ferry. :))
Your answer brings up another topic that's been rattlin' around with the rocks in my head :D. Not sure if it should be a seperate post or not....anyway, being someone who abhors the heat, I was thinking hiking sobo, starting June or July. Would I fare better than nobo in March?
Your answer brings up another topic that's been rattlin' around with the rocks in my head :D. Not sure if it should be a seperate post or not....anyway, being someone who abhors the heat, I was thinking hiking sobo, starting June or July. Would I fare better than nobo in March?
Chances are you'll either be too hot or too cold at some point in your hike, regardless of when or where you start. By all reasonable measures, New England will generally be cooler than the mid-Atlantic or the south, but I've had plenty of hot hikes in New England... and... come to think of it... just about all of the fourteen states that the AT passes through.
Your answer brings up another topic that's been rattlin' around with the rocks in my head :D. Not sure if it should be a seperate post or not....anyway, being someone who abhors the heat, I was thinking hiking sobo, starting June or July. Would I fare better than nobo in March?
Yeah. I started SOBO in July. I had some hot weather to deal with, but nothing like what NOBO usually have to go through.
Why do the hardest section of the trail as a warm up? Unless you're in fantastic shape, you're going to find it difficult, painful, and frustrating. It's not even going to be a good preview of what it'll be like on your thru-hike because hard sections of trail like the Whites and southern Maine are a completely different experience when you have hundreds of miles under your belt. I know because I've hiked in the Whites on the tail end of a several-hundred-mile section and in short sections.
If you want a good primer, pick an easy to moderate section (Shenandoah, NY/NJ, there are lots of options). You'll be able to test out your gear and experience what it's like to backpack for a week or two without killing yourself. Save the hard stuff up north for when you're 1700 miles into your thru-hike and ready for it.
Appalachian Tater
01-14-2008, 16:58
I'm planning on doing a "primer" hike sometime this year in preperation for thru hiking. I'm figuring a 1-2 week time frame. I'm wondering what people's opinions are in regards to the toughest (most physically demanding) section on the trail. I figure I may as well get a glimpse of the worst I'll encounter while thru hiking. I realize that the thru hike is a different ball game with many more variables over a much longer timeframe, but I'm looking for a "healthy dose" of the real deal. Thanks for the input.
Unless you are already a hiker or are in great shape, when you do thru-hike, the toughest part will be the first few weeks, until you get into shape. Once you hit the more difficult parts in terms of terrain, you'll be ready for them.
In other words, the difficulty of the trail has more to do with what shape you're in than the terrain itself.
Jack Tarlin
01-14-2008, 19:32
You're gonna run into extreme heat no matter which way you go.
I've been sunburned on day 3 out of Springer (we're talking like April 4th here).
Northbounders go thru the mid-Atlantic states and southern New England at the worst time of the year, i.e. July and early August.
On the other hand, SOBO's will also see their share of hot weather.
Terrapin's post #13 above actually makes a good bit of sense.....you're gonna see, hot, cold, insects, rain, etc. no matter which way you go.
Personally, as far as going SOBO, I don't wanna be out there hiking til December, and furthermore, I don't wanna wait til June to start, but that's just me. Either way will work out.
If you plan on doing a NOBO, start in GA and hike for a few weeks. That's all I would concern myself with. If you can do that it's pretty much mental from there. It's not the hardest section, but right off the couch it'll still give you a good workout. I'm a firm believer that if you prepare yourself mentally, you can make the whole trip. I always seem to lose my mental game at JAnet's and Harper's Ferry. :))
:-? So let me get this straight.........if I start my NOBO at Harpers Ferry, then my "mental game" will already be lost before I even start? Cool, can't wait to get-a-hiking :D
Blissful
01-14-2008, 20:18
The toughest part for me physically without a doubt was Glencliff, NH to Stratton, ME with a few minor easy stretches in it. I didn't believe it 'til I did it.
Mentally it was southern VA and when I got to Maine. In both cases I wanted to go home and thankfully my hubby wouldn't let me. :)
DuctTape
01-15-2008, 03:48
Why not hike Vermont's Long Trail end to end. That will get you primed and get a "LT Completer" under your belt along with some AT mileage. .
I'll second that too, or, uh, third that.
Southern Maine is the toughest section, as most have stated, but why spoil one of the most beautiful sections of your thru-hike? I wouldn't want to walk all the way from Georgia, get to Maine, and think "I've been here before!" The northern section of The Long Trail is equally difficult.
But in reality, the toughest section of the trail is where you have the most rain, hike through a heat wave, go insane because of mosquitoes, etc.
The toughest section is the whites and presidentials. DON'T go do this as a primer. It will make you not want to do a thru hike! If you are in decent shape just start at one end and keep going, its all mental. The most important thing I learned is that if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other youll eventually get somewhere!
Well, I'll give a slightly contrarian view of the Whites. Go! Just don't go with any set daily mileage in mind. That's a formula for misery. The Whites are where I got my love of hiking, and all it took was a weekend. It would be a huge mistake to expect that the rest of the AT is going to be like the Whites, however.
stranger
01-15-2008, 20:05
The first 5 miles out of any trail town.
I will agree with the many people who list the Mahoosucs (Gorham, NH to Stratton, ME) as, by far, the toughest section of the AT. I made it through the Whites thinking I had it licked. The Mahoosucs then proceeded to beat me down.
However, I really would recommend the Long Trail option instead. You get the experience of completing an actual thru-hike, and from what I hear, the northern 180 miles are notably tougher than the relatively mellow southern 90 which are also the AT. Enjoy your shakedown. And experience what many AT thru-hikers (including me) have not.
The Whites have not made me not want to thru hike, I loves the Whites, even in the rain, they are something else. Southern Maine is certainly some section of trail.
Kirby
wanashunkaha
01-19-2008, 18:43
Thanks for all the great feedback folks. Everyone has valid points. I'm looking into the long trail as a possibility. I didn't even know it existed prior to the responses to my post. I'm thinking maybe sept-oct, 4 weeks to thru hike. I'll let you know if/when it becomes a reality.
I too agree with the majority in Gorham going north. However, The Long Trial would be a good shakedown in the realm you are asking.
Now if we could just string all those baddie sections of Pa rocks together ,throw in a couple of the Presidentials and a couple of river crossings we'd have a pretty good training trail with that too.
Jim Adams
01-20-2008, 03:03
if you are out of shape try NOC to Newfound Gap...it won't spoil your thru hike but it will certainly kick your butt!
geek
Attempt the Maryland 40 in 4 days
its not back breaking but will challenge you enough.
Or Maryland and PA to Cumberland
dessertrat
01-20-2008, 13:16
I'm planning on doing a "primer" hike sometime this year in preperation for thru hiking. I'm figuring a 1-2 week time frame. I'm wondering what people's opinions are in regards to the toughest (most physically demanding) section on the trail. I figure I may as well get a glimpse of the worst I'll encounter while thru hiking. I realize that the thru hike is a different ball game with many more variables over a much longer timeframe, but I'm looking for a "healthy dose" of the real deal. Thanks for the input.
That could be unnecessarily discouraging. You won't be in high fitness mode, I assume, at that point in time. The "worst" the trail has to offer might seem unsurmountable if you are not in good shape, but doable once you've been on the trail for a few weeks.
(By the way, when are you and L.Wolf going to start fighting over the name?
wanashunkaha
01-20-2008, 18:43
(By the way, when are you and L.Wolf going to start fighting over the name?
You know I wondered about the similarity. I've used lonewolf for years, even had a business with lonewolf in the name. When I registered with the site I figured it was probably taken, but thought I'd give it a shot. It let me have it and I thought nothing more of it. Then as I was reading the posts, I came across the L. Wolf and wondered about the name, if it was a real name, if the l stood for lone or Leon, Larry or whatever. I have the impression at this point that he is a prominent figure on this site. Being the new kid on the block, I don't want to step on anyone's toes! :eek: How about it L. Wolf? Should I start thinking of a new name? :o
Lone Wolf
01-21-2008, 11:41
How about it L. Wolf? Should I start thinking of a new name? :o
of course not. of course you can be lone wolf
Now if we could just string all those baddie sections of Pa rocks together ,throw in a couple of the Presidentials and a couple of river crossings we'd have a pretty good training trail with that too.
http://www.hike-mst.org
Not sure about the "Presidentials" part though - it is now longer than the Long Trail however.